TO PARTNER WITH YOU ON YOUR FAITH JOURNEY AND HELP YOU BECOME A FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF CHRIST
STATEMENT OF BELIEFS
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, infallible and God-breathed (II Tim 3:16, 17; II Peter 1:20,21; Matt 5:18; John 16;12,13)
◈
THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (John 1:1,2,14; Luke 1:35). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24; I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where as High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate (Acts 1:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2).
◈
ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
We believe and practice two ordinances – (1) water baptism by immersion after repenting of ones sins and receiving Christ’s gift of salvation, and (2) holy communion (the Lord’s Supper) as a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death for our salvation. We recognize believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 18:8; I Cor. 11:23-26).
◈
SANCTIFICATION
We believe that sanctification initially occurs when a person identifies with Christ, and accepts in faith His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. Sanctification continues as a progressive lifelong process of separating from evil and identifying with things that are good, upright, and pure and becoming more fully devoted to Christ (Rom 12:1-2; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb 13:12).
◈
THE MINISTRY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their God-given spiritual gift(s). We believe it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God given to him/her (Romans 12:1-8; I Cor. 12; I Peter 4:10-11).
◈
DIVINE HEALING
We believe that divine healing of the sick is a privilege for all believers and is provided for in Christ’s atonement (His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer f faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (Isaiah (53:4-5; Luke 4:18-19; James 5:14-17; I John 5:14-15).
◈
HUMANITY
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man has a radical pervasiveness to sin, and of himself is utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26, 27; Rom 3:22, 23, 5:12; Eph 2:1-3, 12). We also believe that humanity is created in the image of God and in that has intrinsic value. This is seen in the reality of Jesus Christ’s incarnation, becoming a man, and his willingness to die for humanity.
◈
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph 1:7; I Peter 1:18-19).
◈
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a special experience following salvation where additional power for life and ministry are given by God to the believer, just as in New Testament times. We believe that the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the ‘speaking in tongues’ as experienced on the Day of Pentecost and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles (Acts 2:4; 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 15:7-9). This miraculous and spiritually profitable practice includes the ability to have non-cognitive communication with God by means of speaking in tongues and is given first for personal edification (I Corinthians 14:4), and when interpreted, for public edification (I Cor. 14:13, 26, 27).
◈
THE CHURCH AND ITS MISSION
We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age (Eph 1:22,23; 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 11:2). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament scriptures (Acts 14:27, 18:22, 20:17, I Timothy 3:1-3, Titus 1:5-11). The Church has a Mission to seek and save all who are lost in sin and to build a unified body of believers fully devoted to Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10; Eph 4:12).
◈
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the ‘blessed hope’, the personal, imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on the earth 1000 years (U Thes. 4:13-18; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16, 20:1-6; I Thes. 1:10, 5:9; Rev. 3:10; Rev 20:1-6). Anyone whose name is written in the Book of Life (salvation) will be spared from eternal punishment and will look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell and reign forever (Mett, 25:46; II Peter 3:13; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21-22).
§ § §
